


Book One: The Oracle Fawn

by starryeyedauthor



Series: The Modern Fae Project (Working Title) [1]
Category: Faerie Folklore, Original Work
Genre: Elemental Magic, Fae & Fairies, Fantasy, Modern Era, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:34:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25596598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starryeyedauthor/pseuds/starryeyedauthor
Summary: The Modern Fae Project (Working Title)Book One: The Oracle FawnFollow the adventures and challenges as a young Fae, the last of her kind, struggles with her evolving discovery of the mortal world and her own power.  There is so much to this Hidden World--how can someone so naive survive?
Series: The Modern Fae Project (Working Title) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1855243
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This is the beginning of a world-building project and story I have had envisioned in many forms since I was a teenager. It will be a story of a magical and complex world where the Fae are everywhere as the Veil between our world and their's breaks down due to several conflicts between mortals and the Hidden Folk. In this work, Fae is a VERY broad term that will encapsulate many kinds of fantasy creatures from traditional and modern folklore. 
> 
> Book One: The Oracle Fawn is still in the writing process, but I have quite a few chapter rough drafts ready to process and post as I go. 
> 
> I will continuously work on the plot as this is an ongoing novel project of mine, so this series will be in and out of the editing process as I go.

_**Open your eyes, lost and lonely child** _  
_**Unravel yourself from the ashes of cold sleep** _  
_**Rise to me, come to the light that shines brightest** _  
_**The sun as it dies** _

  
A pale hand clawed the earth, next to a stamping hoof. Labored breath, and bones cracking. She blinked past the brightness of the golden sunset, and saw a woman bathed in that light, reaching out. Her hands, both of them now, reached back, as she knelt on spindly, pale legs. For the first time, she knew herself. 

“Don’t speak yet my child.” The woman said, and her warm hands clasped the new, snowy digits of the girl before her. She knew her and her people, the ones she all called “children” for they came from her own soul and blood. By the Other children’s hands though, they had met an end. The guilt was something she had to swallow as she beckoned the little fawn to her feet, guiding her through the shimmering forest and dark trees until they came to a small valley. Ruins made of stones like marble and quartz, rose from the soft grass and moss, scattered and broken. This place was once a place of worship and wonder, but her own visage was long-demolished by enemies and time. 

Soon enough, smooth marble floors stood out against the dirt and moss, and they crossed them into the building, trees having burst and crumbled the roof, making a softer cathedral in their wake. Even a little spring had made itself at home, a natural well that had once served as a source of a gazing pool, now overflowing the cracked walls and becoming a little creek. The large cathedral continued on past the pool, broad,cracked steps leading to a broad platform, devoid of any and all decor aside from the fanciful tiling and crystal in the floors and walls. At the back wall was a large doorway leading down smaller steps to a cracked quartz path leading to a lone, intact tower set behind this once grand palace, looking cold against the strange golden sky.

The girl looked all around her in awe, clinging to the woman’s hand, even though she herself was grown enough to walk easily alongside. Only moments ago, she had known of a different existence, and so the woman was not shocked by the reactions of the darling. She was perfect as she had known her years ago--just barely a woman, with long opal hair and bright shining eyes of lavender. Oracle eyes. 

The woman pulled away her hand, and the girl stood straight on her own. She was nude, her skin a soft golden tan, smooth and flawless. She had wide-set, huge eyes and a soft sweet face that made her look alien, especially with her cream colored doe-ears rising free of her hair, with a tiny set of antlers to match. Her hair was straight and glossy, falling like sheets of silk past her tailbone, trailing like a soft cloak of shimmering rainbows in her wake. Little white freckles dotted across her face and neck and hips, the remains of her time as another creature. 

“A fawn, a guardian of this place with a soft presence.” The woman completed their thoughts with a smile, “Do you have any memories of this place, little fawn?” She spread her arms out at the wide cathedral, letting the girl look here and there freely. 

Her bare feet found the steps rising to the platform, and turned, looking out to the view from on high. Long-lost memories brightly flashed in her vision, of fire and death, of peace and happiness. She crumpled to her knees and the woman was suddenly beside her, smoothing a hand to her head, and the memories faded. “You do. That is all I needed, I am sorry. Do you wish to forget it all, and start anew, pet?” 

The girl blinked and sat back on her heels with a shiver, arms wrapping her slender frame. “I--” Her voice was like a bell, soft and distant, but sweet still. “I do not understand what is happening.” She looked down at her hands, her body. “I was not this way--but yet I always have been. You--I feel I should know you.” The woman tutted and held the girl close, and she didn’t resist. 

“It’s fine my pet, you are still half-asleep. Come, I have a new place for you. For now you may call me Mother.” She led her through the doorway and small exit, the path to the tower a scattering of smooth stones. The tower itself was shining white in the late afternoon light, and looked like something out of a fairy tale castle. Thankfully, there were doors and windows and balconies all the way up, so it would be no tale of captivity. 

Mother pushed the wide wood door open to reveal a rounded common room with a roaring hearth, overstuffed couches and cushions, beautiful tapestries, and clean stone walls with shining wood floors. A small kitchen stood next to the hearth, a sink basin set into a counter next to a cook-top. She’d gotten modern enough over the years, at least. Now that they entered the room and she could blink away the sunlight, she took in the woman called Mother properly. 

A tall, elegant woman with silver hair and long ears, pale skin and bright blue eyes, Mother knelt over a table set with huge platters of food, meat and veggies and fruits, pies and rolls and homemade butter. She was dressed in a simple but beautiful green dress that fitted close to her body, tied with a long brown sash around the middle. The girl couldn’t stop staring at her dress, seeing the little playful sunflowers embroidered here and there along the seams and smiled. Mother noticed and nodded, standing up. 

“We should clean you up, and I’ll have you a nice plate, something simple for now. I think I overestimated how sleepy you’d be!” Her laughter was comforting, and the girl--no, she was a young woman now, maturing before her eyes-- eagerly followed Mother up the winding stairs to the next landing, and through a closed door. Another large room, this one with a door off to the side. The rest of the room was bookcases and a huge bed with drapes, covered in pastel cushions and coverlets. The young one’s eyes lit up, but she dutifully followed through the second door.

Beyond was a huge window, covered by a gauzy curtain, a huge round wooden tub sat in front of it. On the other side of the room were cupboards full of all manner of beauty products, a wide counter with a basin set into it, and a huge mirror. Other than that, there was a toilet tucked behind a partition, and house plants everywhere. “They like the steam,” She explained, turning on the faucets. The younger sat on a low stool and looked over at herself in the mirror, examining her face and body in silence. She had dirt smudged over her hands and face, and now she could recall--the thrashing pain as her bones had broken and re-mended her to this form, from a deer. It echoed through that memory, the sound of her own ragged screams in the quiet forest as she painfully clawed her new hands over her new face. Any wounds she’d sustained had long vanished, and she felt like it was just a bad dream now. 

The sound of running water faded back in as Mother touched her shoulder and helped her into the bath. “Speak if you can, child.” She said softly, pulling up the stool to assist washing her hair gently, passing a sponge and a bar of soap to her for her body. It took a moment, but she submerged her body in the hot water with a sigh of relief. They washed in silence, and then finally, she spoke. 

“It was awful, feeling my body contort that way. Please don’t tell me it will happen again.” She muttered finally, and Mother laughed. The sound was cruel. 

“Nonsense, child. I--will explain everything soon. Your body has that power, to change your form. It’s just not an easy task.” She poured a bucket of clean water over her head, and the girl sputtered. “Life is not painless, even for us.” She continued, her voice firm and matter of fact as she began to work her scalp into a lather. “Know that now my darling,and you will be more prepared for your new life.” 

She sat silent, running her soapy hands over her small breasts, the nipples hard from the chill. It was so weird, this body. Her hands alone felt too complicated, to be able to feel the goosebumps on her chest as Mother washed her hair, the water cool over her shoulders. “I feel overwhelmed already.” She admitted softly, once Mother was finished rinsing, and had her hair tied up in a towel as she finished sitting in the bath. 

“That’s fair and fine my pet. I expected as much. But I suppose I should apologize, for being impatient. It must be hard, being so new. I am so very old.” She chuckled, her flawless face betraying nothing of her age. She rose from the stool and moved to one of the cupboards, where she had thick, fluffy pink towels in rows, stuffed full. She pulled out more, as well as a matching robe, the heavy sort that dragged the floor. “Dry off then put this on. I will give you some time to breathe and bring dinner up.” She slipped out of the room, but took a moment to lean and listen at the closed door. Silence--the darling was so quiet. Surely that would change soon. 

She finally left, floating down the stairs as she fretted. The child was so new to this world, and she had to rely so much on her. It was really unfair, and no amount of luxury she attempted to provide her here could compare to anything she might face. Her hands gripped the sink edge until they turned white, looking into the soapy water. She’d planned this for so long, and now today was just so much for the poor dear--she had to wonder if this was pointless. 

“Mother?” A small voice shook her and she looked around to see her, wet hair falling out of a towel half-on her head, wrapped in that huge robe and looking teary-eyed. “They’re...all gone, aren’t they?” 


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Identities are revealed, as well as the secret mission that destroyed a kingdom. It's a curse to be reborn into this chaotic and strange new world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very plot/explanation heavy chapter, sorry! I started out vague in Chapter One, but the main point of the story is laid out in this chapter... so I hope it's worth the read! 
> 
> Thanks to those who have read so far and responded! It means a lot to me, to take this leap into publishing my own work. I'm so glad I'm able to share my story and journey with you!

“Aerania of the Dusk Kingdom…” She straightened herself in bed, hair now braided down her back, a pink bow tying it at the bottom. “At least it’s a pretty name.” 

The older woman sighed and smiled, watching as Aerania sat against her pillows and tucked into a soup that seemed more agreeable than the initial feast she’d prepared. The young woman was the last daughter of Dusk, the third and now extinct Fae Kingdom that balanced the Light and Dark. She knew nothing of the burden that came with her existence, not yet. 

Mother reached forward and clutched the small hand that rested on the covers. She’d explained everything she could in small doses while the girl’s memories, broken and faded as they were, made her ask so many questions, coming out like a torrent as she broke down and cried. Tucking her in, fixing her hair, she’d recounted the most immediate events: the fall of her kingdom, the death of her parents.

“I had to intervene, or I’d lose you too.” Mother told her, squeezing her hand now as more tears flooded her own vision. “I slept for so long, and hoped you’d just be a peaceful little fawn forever. I felt I owed you that life, after your parents prayed to me to save you from the final calamity. I was so weak, it was all I could manage then, to form you into a doe, and let you wander wild in your homeland.” 

The girl fell silent, and set aside the half-eaten tray of food onto the table next to her bed. “You keep saying you had to wake me. Why didn’t you help my parents from dying, my people?” Her questions were innocently formed but they fueled fury in Mother, who pulled back. 

“I had no power--I once did. Long long ago. Our history is long, my child. I intend to explain it all, but you really are going to overwhelm yourself at this rate.” She rose, touching the girl’s head. Aerania felt a wave of drowsiness and yawned. 

“Sleep my dear, all is well for now. You’re safe, and I’m with you.” She blew out the lanterns and saw her settle down into the covers, hearing her soft sighs. No dreams, no memories--asleep again, in her real form. 

Once the door was shut and she was sure the little one slept, she climbed the stairs up to the top level, the workroom. It was locked, but she would likely unlock it once she explained it all. She didn’t want the girl not to trust her, to worship and see her for who she was. She didn’t know anything now, but the truth was deeper than she wanted to know. Sighing, she sat down at the desk, the rounded room’s walls nearly covered in shelving, for books and tools alike. Wide round skylights dotted the ceiling in a circle, as well as star maps painted there with glowing ink. 

Looking to the ceiling and the darkness outside, she inhaled and sent herself to the roof, her form now more spirit than solid. Her skin glowed silver and her hair swept out of it’s neat bun to catch in the wind as she breathed the night air. “Come, tell me,” She whispered to the wind. 

She received the whispers from the world over in her ears--Oberon’s camp were the most troublesome. They were rising to new heights in human society, the way they spread their influence and captured mortals, and worse. She wept at it, knowing she had to rush things along, like it or not. Coming back inside she began working with the old bottled herbs on the shelves until morning to brew a special tea for Aeri, to assist in the process. 

By dawn, she felt no weariness, taking the tea to the kitchen to leave among her other spices, marking it with it’s own symbol. Feeling Aeri begin to break the spell of dreamless sleep, she busied herself with making breakfast, along with the honeyed tea. She would of course warn her, and prepare her, but she still needed to eat too.

Carrying up the tray, she saw the girl up and peering around the room curiously, messy braid trailing down her back and nearly to the floor. She’d worn a simple white nightgown to bed, and was now prodding through the huge old wardrobe next to the bathroom door for something else to wear. “I just put some commoner clothes there for you, for now. It’s more practical.” She sat the tray down on the bedside table, coming to stand next to Aeri, who paused and pulled at a deep purple dress.

“I just want to move freely.” She muttered with a little pout. Chuckling, Mother pulled free a pair of silken wide pants, hard-soled slippers, and an airy little blouse. “Try these then, and not dresses. You’ll find them comfortable enough for today.” 

“What are we doing today?” She asked, tossing off the nightgown to the bed and tugging on the blouse. It felt so soft against her skin, the sleeves long but wide enough to feel flowing down her arms. It bared her toned stomach, and it remained exposed as she pulled on the pants that sat low at her hips. Sitting on the edge of the bed she reached for the tray. 

“Well, before you dig into that--I should warn you. Part of today’s plans involve that tea.” She pointed to the little teapot and empty cup. “I prepared it last night to assist you with your doubts and questions. When I tell you things, the tea’s spell will enable you to understand without fear. It doesn’t last long, but it will help us. I--must let you know why you’re here.” She chuckled, a hint of bitterness making a lump form in Aeri’s throat. 

“Why is that, exactly?” The girl asked softly, brushing her hands over her new pants. “You woke me for a reason, but you refuse to say it. Say it now, and even without the tea, I will face it without fear.” Her lavender eyes focused on Mother, who sighed. That gaze--she recognized it. 

“Your real mother had such passion and fearlessness--I hope you know she would be proud of you and who you have become.” She patted the girl’s leg. “You see--your duty has been given since birth. I never thought it would come so soon, hence my powerlessness and your sleeping. Time has not been on our side, and so things must escalate.” She met the girl’s gaze, and inhaled. Best thing to do was to dive in. 

“You must find the two Changeling Fae and convince them to join you---or else this world may crumble into chaos, for all Fae and mortal kind.” She rose and went to a mirror affixed to the wall, waving her hand over it, until it lit up while the rest of the room darkened. “Drink your tea and forget breakfast. We have to begin now, because your questions will never cease.” She could feel the rising, the stirring, the tension. Aeri gripped the edge of the bed, face gone white. 

Mother turned and poured the cup, putting it in the girl’s hands. Aeri began to weep again, and hated herself for it, so eagerly drank, burning her tongue. Once she saw the girl would imbibe it, and believe her, Mother turned back to the glowing mirror. “Gaze my child into my memories, and know all I say is true. I am the One Mother of All, the Mother of Earth. I am Gaia, Goddess and Creator of the Fae. The Seed of Life.” Aeri looked up to Mother, those eyes shining with power like she’d never seen, lit from within. A sense of awe swept through her, but she was steeled from the fears and doubts, the tea making her focus on the woman before her instead, and her tale. 

“I was once the most powerful creature on Earth, perhaps this Universe, made of Celestial Light and Wild Magic. From my overflowing wealth of wild power, came the Sun and Moon, the souls of them finding me here calling themselves Tatiana and Oberon. They were twins, lightness and darkness, and came to me in wonder and hope. We were a trinity of power and life. We gave birth to the Fae, our own race, celestial spirits drawing their life and power from the Wild Magic. We were feral, like untamed stars roaming this world and birthing chaos in our wake.” 

Her gaze went to the mirror, a hazy image of three huge, sparkling beings of light and dark, shadows and brightness playing alongside each other. Smaller, white and black bodies, and some looking lavender in between, danced around the shadows and light--the Sun and Moon, and the Mother between. “We were all wonderful and curious creatures--and then mortals came. We did not make them, the Earth itself created them from apes. They discovered from us magic and mystery and worshipped our kind with pagan religion. We influenced them along all the way, becoming deities and forces of nature, interfering for fun and for purpose. We knew not why we could not get them to see us fully though, and it made us angry. It was then that we discovered the Veil--a cruel reality.” 

“I am a Celestial, and so when I came to this planet, my influence was too much--and the mortals could not see past the mysteries that surround our presence. We created a sort of second world on this one, and while it had it’s cracks, it’s entrances--we could not exist entirely without it. We could not make the mortals see us true.”

“So we turned to a dark world of our own, tricking them, taunting them. However, we also learned from them--their ways rubbed off on us, and we began to long for their shape, so we made ourselves like them--humanoid. In this way, they did begin to recognize us, as we shared their form. It was a way in, and we tried to form bonds--but not all of us are of the same mind.” She looked to Aeri again, with her lavender doe eyes wide, waiting. Mother sighed and leaned against the wall, feeling weak already.

“The soul of the Moon and Night, he wanted to use them for their knowledge and arts, for their blood even. He saw power in them, and wanted to harness it for our uses. His twin, soul of the Sun and Day, had also fallen for the mortals. She thought them entertaining, and almost wanted them for pets, but believed their free will made them strong. She advocated against her twin for the mortals to be at peace, to not harness them all, to only take what he needed or desired and no more. Anything to spare them... “ Her voice broke off and she knew the worst came from their interest in mortals. The poor, dumb creatures. 

Aeri sat dumbfounded, watching the tale spill over the mirror, the way the three of them fought, throwing things, screaming. The lightning that arched in the air, the fire at their feet. “We are all very powerful, but I was the one who ruled them, and they knew it. So I gave them freedom, to make their own kingdoms of this realm or leave it entirely. Do as they wished but I strove to provide the balance.” 

“So, I created the Kingdom of Dusk. My own Fae, made into more celestial forms than the others, taking after me. I gave them a place in the wild wilderness of the northwest of the globe, let them roam and spread and be free. Most importantly, I gave the kingdom my knowledge. My histories, my magic, my logic, my goddess power. Unfettered access to the cosmos, the Earth, and all the mysteries with them.” Aeri felt memories in the fog of her mind begin to emerge as she spoke of the Dusk Kingdom. Fae of various make, some more like animals, others more like alien creatures, all beautiful in their own way, and solemn in their duties to the Goddess. Her mother and father had been the rulers, King and Queen--she remembered now why the Cathedral was so familiar. It was their old throne room. 

“Tatiana and Oberon decided to heed my word, and create their own kingdoms, calling to them the wild fae who believed in their causes. It’s sad now--there’s really no more love, no more connection between us at this point. Sometimes I still weep thinking of the bitterness and corruption humanity caused them both.” 

The mirror showed the three symbols--one of the golden sun, one of the black moon, and the third a shooting star with a blue globe. “I hoped to admit to them that I wished to unite again, but the damage was done, and our alliance was over. Oberon settled in the dark mountains and forests of the world, the hidden caverns and valleys. His kind prefer those places, as much as Tatiana prefers places that are free and open, sunny and light. We made our kingdoms as we saw fit..” She inhaled slowly, the mirror shifting and swirling, the figures parting, building walls, hiding in forests, playing in enchanted fields. Not united, but peaceful. A pain of guilt began to grow in Mother, clenching her heart.

“Then--humanity changed too. They became suddenly more advanced. Technology with farming, architecture, religion that had nothing to do with us nor magic. Nothing was sacred, everything was money and greed for them, it was brutal survival and suffering. I couldn’t bear it, and turned from them entirely. I hid my kingdom with the power of the Veil, and retreated. I have always known this planet to be a beautiful, natural place. It’s very magic wells from that power and origin--and with the humans filling it’s fields with farmland, buildings, roads, and more? I couldn’t--” Her voice broke and she looked to Aeri, who stared into the mirror, seeing the early factories, the billowing black smoke. The trees being cut in droves, loaded onto mysterious long machines and carried down roads of grey, flat, dull Earth. 

“We lost our footholds. Tatiana became more bitter, and instead of hiding, she began to collect them, luring them in with unfamiliar magic and keeping them as pets. Oberon did the same in his own way, but he dragged them kicking and screaming, forcing their deaths and more suffering in trying to unlock their secrets…” 

“Stop.” Aeri slid off the bed, and turned on one of the lanterns. “Mother, please. You may have given me the tea to open me to all this but it’s still too much--for you.” She led the goddess to the bed, where she collapsed down with a sigh. The room’s light faded back in and the mirror returned to normal. Gaia came to the bed and sat down, feeling heavy. Filling in the blanks of a history that began at the dawn of life--it was so much to tell someone what she had lived Eons experiencing. 

Aeri felt shocked, mind racing. Her memories--they’d come in violent snapshots last night, frame by frame, blurred by time. Now, she felt empty, blank. As if her own life, whatever it had been like, could only exist as a story now, being retold by a detached voice. The rising sun painted the room in golden hues finally, seeming to wake both of them as they sat alongside in the huge old bed. Aeri sighed, drawing her knees to her chest, looking up at Gaia. The elder had sat stiff and within herself--her more “celestial” form easier to maintain as she sat there, seeming to fade and shimmer in the new morning light. She depended so much on Aeri, and yet she knew nothing. How foolish of her, to trust children might lead the way. 

\-----------------------------------

“What happened to my parents, my kingdom?” She asked after what felt like an hour, reaching for the woman’s hand. Gaia gripped that fragile hand in turn, sighing as she brought herself to present again. 

“In short, it was destroyed because of the role I gave it and myself. I wanted to be balanced between them, to have the good of the Earth in my interests, to leave the humans alone, perhaps even help them--so I began the Oracle project. I ignited the war.” Her eyes were blank, far away. This being made from magic itself, so weak that memories made her shudder in fear. 

“I snuck to the other kingdoms, stole away two other girls, and hid them among the mortals. You, I trained as their keeper--they were to be the ones to know the mortals fully, and be able to stop the war, by showing their compassion and experiences growing up there. But they were powerful, chosen by the stars for this purpose. And you were also chosen--I had appointed a strong, brave scholar and her husband to lead my kingdom, and soon they were expecting a rare child born under the same stars. Because you were raised Fae, I called you the Oracle, the one who would know all and see all, and be the Priestess to guide the Changelings.” She looked to the floor, her voice rising and falling...from pride to the fall. 

“However, the kingdoms had their spies within mine--of course they did. I was too trusting, too blind to how they operated. They knew of my crimes against them, and both kingdoms came demanding answers. At this time though, I had been investing all my energies in this project, and the influence of the mortals sapped my strength. I warned your parents, your kingdom--but The Oberon and The Tatiana were not the ones I had known. Their souls, corrupted, becoming strange new products of their own kingdoms, powerful creatures who called themselves their own gods, bringing their fury to this place…” She shook her head. “Mad Fae, New World--it was all changing so fast for me.” Her voice cracked and she sat upright, face pale and shimmering with tears. 

“I’m so sorry Aeri. I brought their fury down upon the Kingdom of Dusk. I told them I could not return their daughters, tried to explain myself, but I was weak even back then. They used their powers of the Earth I once freely gave to destroy the palace that once stood here, and wiped out the small kingdom nestled over these mountains. The Oberon remains a ruthless warlord to this day, and he worked under nightfall to ensure he murdered every last Dusk fae he could find among the mountains.” 

“Tatiana took many captives from the palace to use as scribes, imparting the knowledge I had entrusted to them. She also pulled some to her ranks through promises of revenge, of a war just beginning. The current Tatiana is training as her own General I hear.” Her whole being wavered and it was a fight to simply sit next to Aeri. “It was such a mess, chaos unravelled. I could do nothing except hide you with me--and make you a sweet, thoughtless fawn when it was all over.” 

She touched Aeri’s face with a nearly non-existent hand, and the younger girl held the strange Celestial close, mind racing, eyes full of unshed tears. For the selfish desires of this woman--her life, her people, her family--were all gone.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Memories aren't a sweet blessing after all, but the truth will shine a light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another longer chapter, but went through a lot of edits in the meantime~ Hopefully this streamlines the way for the more action-packed chapters in the future. Thanks for reading!

The tale all told still felt Aeri and Gaia reeling, as the rest of the day was spent in a near-silent wash of weariness over the tower. Here and there, Gaia remembered things she wanted to tell Aeri, happier memories to share. She told her how her real mother, the Queen, had been a natural talent at certain types of magic, and how she knew Aeri would be too. The tower was once a study belonging to the late Dusk Queen, and so now was Aeri’s home as long as she wanted. Aeri envied all these clear memories and promises, for in her ears they sounded hollow and unreal.

“It’s an enchanted place. You’ll never want for anything, and all messes clean themselves once dropped to the floors. Even the laundry. The cupboard is always full of food, and the sinks pour in fresh spring water, at whatever temperature you like.” She sat down at their dinner table--simple roasted vegetables, with some small portions of fish to the side. She’d discovered in their short time together that Aeri preferred more light eating, likely because of her time as an herbivore. 

“I thought you said you were powerless?” The girl asked with a tilt of her head. Over the day, she’d explored the tower, asking questions and sipping her special tea, feeling like she could soak up anything, despite her sorrow and inner turmoil. The study and all it’s knowledge made her fingers itch to explore it too, but even Gaia thought it might be too much. I

“Against any other Fae, I am right now. I am a goddess that the Earth and it’s wills respond to me though. But the tower’s behavior is left by your mother--probably just some spell she put on the place to keep herself from having to clean. She was a practical woman.” Again, Aeri felt a childish sort of anger, quick and hot, run up her spine. 

Finally she sat herself down at the table, brushing back a lock of hair. She needed to control herself, prove she could handle this new life, even if it felt impossible. Gaia was still the master here, knowing so much. Her memories, of her own mother, her own people and life--they were close to the surface, dancing out of reach whenever she wanted to take a look. So she sat sullen, poking at her food, lost in a mind so much more complex than instinct. 

“You’ve been so quiet, but I love when you offer me your thoughts.” Gaia hinted gently as she poured half a mug of the special tea, and filled the rest with milk and honey. Aeri took a dutiful sip and paused. Why did she keep drinking? She sat the cup down and pushed it back. 

“Am I a prisoner to this fate you’ve laid out? Has it been the case since my birth?” Her voice was pointed but rose in fear. Gaia sighed--she couldn’t help but think of Aeri as a child, immature in her accusations. She was the newest and strangest generation, and had a lot standing in her way. 

“I don’t really wish it to be this way. I wish you had your kingdom, that you are the princess you deserve to be. Living in peace, serving as a judge and scholar for both kingdoms, without loyalty to any but your own. That was my dream,ultimately. The Balance.” She looked down at the dishes on the table, carefully dishing out their supper.

“I hope maybe, one day we can make it reality. But we must make peace with them, and unite them.” She paused, sitting back at her plate. “So you must find them, I’m afraid--if you want the life you deserve.” Shaking her head, she tucked in, not wanting to start down this road over dinner. They both needed to root themselves in reality. 

Aeri poked her fork at the tender white filet dredged in herbs and butter. A hesitant sniff, a small taste, followed by a bigger one. “Mnn...I..” She swallowed and focused those wide lavender eyes on Gaia. Best to play nice. 

“I want my freedom, is all. I was free, or so I thought, as a fawn. I am being thrown into this world made new, and you simply ask I open my mind, without fear--and I did. But I am curious, I have so many questions, so much learning to do. Let me explore freely, and I can complete your mission.” 

Gaia sat back, her fork half-buried in a lump of salted potato. “What do you mean, explore freely? You have had your run of the place all day my pet-- but you are right. You ARE still new. I worry you are--fragile, as you are now. Weak.” The fire from the hearth crackled and cast new shadows over the woman’s face. Her long, pointed ears, her very aura--it was elegant and soft, but strong shadows stood under her alien eyes. Large and star filled, impossible to read. 

“Aeri, I want to protect you along this journey, but if I go along with you, I will risk exposing us and invoking new ire. It’s a dangerous thing I ask of you already. Should you stray--I don’t know if I could protect you. We need more time to--” 

“How can I ever be totally safe, then?” She asked, standing up a little, feeling the frustration roar through her, sparking at her fingertips. “I need to know how to be my own person, to fulfill this mission, to restore this world I’m born into, but have so little memory of.I don’t even know who I am, not really.” Her hands clenched the table edge, eyes down.

“You are right.” Gaia’s chilling tone made Aeri’s anger dissipate as she sat back in her chair. “I cannot protect you always. I am weaker than them, as is my connection to my own children, this planet. I hoped you might act as a gateway, and I might restore myself somehow--but for now I must make you strong.” A gust of wind shoved recklessly through the room, the fire hissing death. Only the little gas lamp on the table remained, drawing in the shadows. 

Aeri shrank down as the Goddess rose up, a grand willow. Tall, overarching, sad. Her skin turned a beautiful, pale sky blue, glittering a little as though diamonds were embedded below the surface, catching every drop of light in the room. Her hair was the same as Aeri’s own...but more pure, a lush vivid diamond white, but the lamp light revealed it’s iridescence. Alien eyes pierced Aeri through, trapping her. 

“You don’t know the Fae. You don’t know the Celestials. You will have to know them, you will have to know it all. Knowledge will be your power, little doe.” Her eyes were silvery, shifting and swirling, pupiless and unearthly. “I have learned so much since discovering this planet, but I never imagined my power could be reduced this way--to have to rely on my own precious, mutant children.” A wail, a lament of a mad god. 

The wind wrapped them, blinding Aeri until she was looking out the tower window, out over the small courtyard of the palace. Blue and green fires raged through the shining kingdom of crystal and marble, the cries of murdered innocents ringing between the trees all around the tower. “No.” It was the visions she’d been avoiding, yet she could not even shut her eyes. 

“You must watch. You MUST see.” Her presence was all Aeri could feel, but then she was immersed in it, watching herself. Stumbling through the forest, a lost childish woman. Her beautiful gossamer robes were torn asunder by a run-in with a fiend, tears streaking dry over her cheeks as she felt the fire’s heat consume the forest. 

Young Aeri stumbled into the open doors of the main throne room, the bubbling spring’s carefully tiled walls cracked open, spilling and flooding the main floor. She kept stumbling forward, up past the columns and the shattered remains of crystal and glass. Her feet and hands bled silvery trails in her wake, floating over the water. Her parents--they were on their thrones. 

The king’s delicate crown was gone, robbed off his slumped corpse. His wounds were open gashes across his chest, the blood drying thick across his elegant clothes. The queen, her mother--she was frozen to her throne, the magical blast of ice encasing her horrified face. It’d been so sudden, they’d never seen it coming. Aeri looked above to the visage of the Goddess and knelt at her mother’s feet, clutching at the ice statue’s skirts. 

“I’d been--taken away.” Aeri’s voice was distant as she watched herself sob on her mother’s lap. “Someone, something, had pushed me down and knocked my head. I was out for hours, but I assume that was purposeful, since I awoke in the forest, far from the palace, in a little hut. I ran as fast as I could back home but--I was far too late.” 

Gaia’s presence washed over the poor child then, her memory revealing the Goddess’ form, silvery and ghostly. “Let this ruin die all around, let it become just a vision and a warning to your children.” Her holy voice rang out the spell, and Aeri knew no more. 

By that point, many were dead, and many more had fled through the forest, only to be picked off later or recruited when they were desperate and without strength. Aeri of course was supposed to be collected by the Goddess once all was safe, but Gaia had been trying to persuade Tatiana to listen to her plans and save the Dusk Kingdom--while Oberon sought ruin, and moved too swiftly. He attacked without hesitation, and Gaia felt it like a personal wound to the heart, as he killed the King and Queen with his own hands. 

Aeri’s bodyguard had taken her to the forest and hid her--a plan the royal family had concocted to protect the future generation, at the insistence of the Goddess. On his return to the palace, the loyal guard was slaughtered by a Fiend, one of many that freely hunted through the surrounding lands for any scattered souls. It left Aeri alone to stumble home, to be attacked, to see every horror that Oberon had painted. 

At the time, it’d seemed a merciful kindness to lock her memories of her life and mission away, to save her the pain, and transform her. Gaia at that point had given up on it all--and let them both waste away far too long, until things were now dire. 

“I’m sorry.” The memory melted, and Gaia was just a shallow reflection of her former glory, a blueish silver aura wavering and soft. She wrapped Aeri in her arms as the girl grieved, everything now revealed and fresh again. 

“Wh-why didn’t you just--h-help me then?! Not change me, not hide me away--” Aeri’s voice was tight with the centuries of sorrow, but her mind raced. Gaia had stolen her life, her family, with ambition. It seemed so clear now, and her hatred was rising like bile in the back of her throat, tears burning her eyes. 

“I-I was too weak. I collapsed into the Earth to rest once I made you enchanted, protected and released near here to wander free. I knew I’d find you again some day.” Her hand smoothed over the girl’s beautiful opal tresses, in an attempt to calm her. “Come, come. Take heart. You have so much courage, and you ask all the right questions. Though you will grieve, though this memory will now remain--it is a blessing, my blessing.” Aeri looked up, her expression a looking glass to her wounded heart. 

“You have every right to hate me. But I cannot undo the past, only help your future--and hope that I grow strong enough to follow you there.” She released Aeri at last, going to prod the fire to life again, ushering the chill out of the room. “The rest of your memories are still locked away I’m afraid--but I revealed what happened that day, so that you know why you’re here now.” 

“Why I’m here--What must I do now? I’ve been put into a fight I never had any part of! Why did you do this to me? Would it not have been better, just to let me grieve in the moment, raise me to fight for my people!” 

She cried out in fury, hands clenched uselessly at her sides. Her aura rose, seeping from every pore with the magic she’d long had dormant. A silvery haze, colored lavender, smelling of it too--and of pine. Beautiful. She was a magnificent creature and she’d be perfect. Her emotions hit in raw waves, trembling the tower on its foundation, the fire flickering in sympathy for the young Oracle. 

Gaia watched, and made a timely calculation, changing tact as she came to take the girl’s hands, kneeling to be eye-level. “He destroyed everything Aeri, he didn’t hesitate. I longed for peace, I communicated it with them. We lived in harmony for so long, before the mortals--” 

Right now, Aeri’s heart was broken, and she was weak. But the power was there, buried. It seeped out all around them, as the girl trembled, hands still fisted. “Please, my darling. Use this energy, let me help it along--and you can be free as you explore to find the Changelings. I only have hints, clues of where they might be but--only you can venture forth.” Aeri stilled at the words. 

She turned her chin up, defiance in her realized position, her ego stroked as a young Fae’s only could be: she held power, now. She held knowledge. And Gaia had so much more. “I want a bid of my own--if I’m some destined Queen, isn’t it fair I decide how this goes? How the Changelings are brought in, how we proceed as a group? We were all betrayed.” 

Gaia winced. “Aeri I--” She had hopes of crushing Oberon and persuading Tatiana to join them, once she had a kingdom again and a united power through the three Fae children. It was a long shot, she knew, but the girl was insisting to turn things to her favor. In a way, she admired the outward ambition. 

“You have your mother’s spirit, that shining moonlight, that brightness of clear water.” Gaia reached up and kissed her cheek, rising and flinging her arms out. Upstairs, the study door‘s lock crumbled to ash. “Then let’s not waste a moment. Let us search through the Queen’s research.”


End file.
